Filter device with rotatable bypass valve

ABSTRACT

A fluid filter device having a filter chamber and a cylindrical bypass valve mounted so as to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis between a filtering position and a bypass position. In the bypass position the fluid passes from one end of the valve through to its opposite end toward the filter outlet; in the filtering position the fluid passes through a side opening in the valve to the filter chamber and then is returned to the bypass valve before being discharged through the filter outlet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a fluid filter device and more particularly tosuch a device having a bypass valve which is rotatable between aposition in which the fluid bypasses the filter chamber and a filteringposition in which the fluid is passed through the filter chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid filter devicehaving a substantially cylindrical bypass valve member in which thefluid is received through one end and discharged through the oppositeend. In the bypass position, the valve is disposed such that the fluidpasses along a linear path from the inlet of the valve toward theoutlet. The valve is movable to a filtering position in which the fluidis passed through a side opening of the valve toward the filter chamberand is then returned from the filter chamber to another opening in thebypass valve before being discharged through the filter outlet. Oneadvantage of such a device is that it can be manufactured withrelatively few components.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filter device having ahollow cover which provides a filter chamber. The cover is connected tothe filter body by means of a headed bolt. The bolt carries a sleevebetween the cover and the body in such a manner that as the bolt isthreadably removed from the body, the sleeve engages the cover toseparate it from the body. The sleeve and the cover also have openingsthat are so aligned as to allow air to be received into the filterchamber as the cover is being removed. This arrangement facilitatesremoval of the cover.

These and other objects of the invention will become readily apparent tothose skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon referenceto the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to the accompanying drawing in which likereference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a filter device illustrating the preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing the bypassvalve in its filtering position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the bypass valve in itsbypass position;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the manner in which the filter coverbolt removes the cover from the filter body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a preferred filterdevice 10 as comprising a body 12 having an inlet opening 14 connectedto a source of fluid pressure 16 through conduit means 18. Body 12 alsohas an outlet opening 20 on the opposite side of inlet opening 14 forthe removal of fluid from the filter device.

An elongated cylindrical bypass valve member 22 is mounted in body 12 soas to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis. An annular member 24 issealingly mounted between body 12 and the inlet end of valve member 22.

A handle 26 is connected to the midsection of bypass valve member 22,and is rotatable between a filtering position illustrated at "A" inphantom in FIG. 1 and a bypass position illustrated at "B". A pair ofannular members 28 and 30 are mounted on opposite sides of handle 26 toform a sealing engagement between body 12 and valve member 22.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, an elongated guide member 32 isdisposed in valve member 22 adjacent its longitudinal axis. A pin 34connects one end of guide member 32 to the valve member 22. A valvemember 36 is slidably mounted on guide member 32 adjacent an annularseat 38 formed in valve member 22. Valve member 36 is movable between aclosed position illustrated in FIG. 2, in which it engages annular seat38 to block fluid flow through valve member 22, and an open positionillustrated in FIG. 3 in which valve member 36 is spaced from seat 38 topermit straight-line fluid flow through valve member 22 from inlet 14toward outlet 20.

A nut 40 is carried on the free end of guide member 32, and a biasmember 42 is disposed between valve member 36 and nut 40 to bias valvemember 36 toward its closed position. Bias member 42 is chosen such thatvalve member 36 is opened in response to a predetermined pressuredifferential between inlet 14 and outlet 20.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, valve member 22 has a side opening 44adjacent the inlet and of the valve member and a second side opening 46adjacent the outlet end of the valve member. In the filtering positionof valve member 22, opening 44 is aligned with a passage 48 in body 12,and opening 46 is aligned with a passage 50 in the body. A baffle 52 isdisposed adjacent passages 48 and 50, and a hollow filter cover 54 isseated on baffle 52. Cover 54 forms a filter chamber 56, and baffle 52is adapted to permit fluid flow from passage 48 into valve chamber 56.Passage 50 allows removal of filtered fluid from the filter chamber.

An annular filter element 58 is disposed in the filter chamber in such away that fluid being received from passage 48 is passed radiallyinwardly through the wall of the filter element and then axiallyoutwardly toward passage 50. Filter element 58 is formed to removeundesirable matter from the fluid in the conventional manner.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 an elongated bolt 60 having a head 62 hasthreaded means 64 engaged with body 12. Bolt 60 passes through anopening 66 in cover 54 that is slightly larger than the diameter of thebolt body. A seal 68 is disposed between head 62 and cover 54 to preventfluid flow through opening 66 when head 62 is engaged with cover 54 tosecure it in position.

A sleeve 70 is carried on bolt 60 between cover 54 and body 12. As bestillustrated in FIG. 5, a pin 72 connects the sleeve to bolt 60. Sleeve70 is spaced from cover 54 when the cover is secured to filter body 12by the bolt 60.

Referring to FIG. 5, the end of sleeve 70 adjacent body 54 has a pair ofopenings 74 and 76 adjacent an internal enlargement 78. In order toremove cover 54 from body 12, bolt 60 is unscrewed in the conventionalmanner. As bolt head 62 is separated from cover 54, opening 66 permitsair to be received into the filter chamber. As the bolt 60 is furtherunscrewed, sleeve 70 engages cover 54 to remove it from the body.Openings 74 and 76 and enlargement 78 then become aligned with opening66 to allow the air to be received into the filter chamber to facilitateremoval of the cover from the body.

In operation the preferred filter device is connected to source of fluidpressure 16. To filter fluid being received from fluid pressure source16, handle 26 is disposed in position "A" with valve member 22 in theposition illustrated in FIG. 2 so that the fluid passes through opening44, passage 48, through filter chamber 56 and then is returned throughpassge 50, opening 46 and the through valve member 22 for dischargethrough outlet 20. Valve member 36 is normally seated in its closedposition when the fluid is being passed through the filter chamber. Theseal 24 insures that unfiltered fluid will not be able to find its waybetween the valve 22 and the housing 12 to thereby interfere withrotation of the valve 22.

When handle 26 is rotated to its bypass position "B", as bestillustrated in FIG. 3, valve member 22 is disposed to block fluid flowthrough passages 48 and 50. The fluid then biases valve member 36 towardits open position to pass directly from inlet 14 toward outlet 20without being filtered.

It should be noted that the preferred filter device is composed ofrelatively few components with a bypass valve member that can be easilyrotated between its filtering and bypass positions.

Having described my invention, I claim:
 1. A fluid filter devicecomprising:body means having a cylindrical bore formed therethroughwherein one axial end of said bore forms the fluid inlet for the devicewhile the other axial end of said bore forms the fluid outlet for thedevice, said body means having a filter chamber, said filter chamberhaving a filter chamber inlet which fluidly communicates with said boreand a filter chamber outlet which fluidly communicates with said bore ata position axially spaced from said filter chamber inlet, a filterdisposed in said filter chamber and adapted to filter fluid passing fromsaid filter chamber inlet to said filter chamber outlet; an elongatedcylindrical valve member disposed in said bore and rotatable in saidbore between a first and a second rotational position, said valve memberhaving a first and second transverse opening formed therethrough in anaxially spaced relationship so that when said valve member is in saidfirst rotational position, said first and second transverse openingsrespectively register with the filter chamber inlet and the filterchamber outlet to open fluid flow through said filter chamber while whensaid valve member is in said second rotational position said first andsecond transverse openings are out of registration with said filterchamber inlet and filter chamber outlet to close fluid flow through saidfilter chamber, a handle secured to and extending transversely from saidvalve member at a point intermediate said first and second transverseopenings for rotating said valve member between said first and saidsecond rotational positions, said body means including a body and acover member disposed on the body to form said filter chamber, fastenermeans threadably mounted on the body and connected to the cover toordinarily prevent its removal from the body, the fastener means beingremovable from the body in a motion in which the fastener means engagesthe cover to remove it from the body, and the cover member having anopening for receiving the fastener means, the cover opening beingslightly larger than the fastener means to permit air flow through saidcover opening into the filter chamber when said fastener means is beingremoved from said body.
 2. The filter device as defined in claim 1 andincluding seal means carried by said valve member adjacent said inlet.3. A fluid filter device comprising:body means having a cylindrical boreformed therethrough wherein one axial end of said bore forms the fluidinlet for the device while the other axial end of said bore forms thefluid outlet for the device, said body means having a filter chamber,said filter chamber having a filter chamber inlet which fluidlycommunicates with said bore and a filter chamber outlet which fluidlycommunicates with said bore at a position axially spaced from saidfilter chamber inlet, a filter disposed in said filter chamber andadapted to filter fluid passing from said filter chamber inlet to saidfilter chamber outlet, an elongated cylindrical valve member disposed insaid bore and rotatable in said bore between a first and a secondrotational position, said valve member having a first and secondtransverse opening formed therethrough in an axially spaced relationshipso that when said valve member is in said first rotational position,said first and second transverse openings respectively register with thefilter chamber inlet and the filter chamber outlet to open fluid flowthrough said filter chamber while when said valve member is in saidsecond rotational position said first and second transverse openings areout of registration with said filter chamber inlet and filter chamberoutlet to close fluid flow through said filter chamber, a handle securedto and extending transversely from said valve member at a pointintermediate said first and second transverse openings for rotating saidvalve member between said first and said second rotational positions,said body means including a body and a cover member disposed on the bodyto form said filter chamber, fastener means threadably mounted on thebody and connected to the cover to prevent its removal from the body,the fastener means being removable from the body in a motion in whichthe fastener means engages the cover to remove it from the body, saidfastener means including an elongated bolt having a head, and a sleevemounted on the bolt, the cover having an opening for receiving the boltsuch that the head is on one side thereof and the sleeve is disposed onthe other side thereof between the cover and the body such that as thebolt is threadably removed from the body and the sleeve engages thecover to remove it from the body, and the sleeve having one endengageable with the cover as the bolt is being removed from the body,and including opening means in the sleeve to form fluid communicationbetween the filter chamber and the cover opening so that as the fastenermeans is removed air passes through said cover opening and said openingmeans into said filter chamber to aid in the removal of said covermember.
 4. A fluid filter device comprising:body means having acylindrical bore formed therethrough wherein one axial end of said boreforms the fluid inlet for the device while the other axial end of saidbore forms the fluid outlet for the device, said body means having afilter chamber, said filter chamber having a filter chamber inlet whichfluidly communicates with said bore and a filter chamber outlet whichfluidly communicates with said bore at a position axially spaced fromsaid filter chamber inlet, a filter disposed in said filter chamber andadapted to filter fluid passing from said filter chamber inlet to saidfilter chamber outlet, an elongated cylindrical valve member disposed insaid bore and rotatable in said bore between a first and a secondrotational position, said valve member having a first and a secondtransverse opening formed therethrough in an axially spaced relationshipso that when said valve member is in said first rotational position,said first and second transverse openings respectively register with thefilter chamber inlet and the filter chamber outlet to open fluid flowthrough said filter chamber while when said valve member is in saidsecond rotational position said first and second transverse openings areout of registration with said filter chamber inlet and filter chamberoutlet to close fluid flow through said filter chamber, a handle securedto and extending transversely from said valve member at a pointintermediate said first and second transverse openings for rotating saidvalve member between said first and said second rotational positions,and said body means including a body and a lower member disposed on thebody to form said filter chamber, and a fastener means for fasteningsaid cover member to said body, said cover member having an opening forreceiving the fastener means, the cover opening being slightly largerthan the fastener means to permit air flow through said cover openinginto the filter chamber when said fastener means is being removed fromsaid body.
 5. A fluid filter device comprising:body means having acylindrical bore formed therethrough wherein one axial end of said boreforms the fluid inlet for the device while the other axial end of saidbore forms the fluid outlet for the device, said body means having afilter chamber, said filter chamber having a filter chamber inlet whichfluidly communicates with said bore and a filter chamber outlet whichfluidly communicates with said bore at a position axially spaced fromsaid filter chamber inlet, a filter disposed in said filter chamber andadapted to filter fluid passing from said filter chamber inlet to saidfilter chamber outlet, an elongated cylindrical valve member disposed insaid bore and rotatable in said bore between a first and a secondrotational position, said valve member having a first and secondtransverse opening formed therethrough in an axially spaced relationshipso that when said valve member is in said first rotational position,said first and second transverse openings respectively register with thefilter chamber inlet and the filter chamber outlet to open fluid flowthrough said filter chamber while when said valve member is in saidsecond rotational position said first and second transverse openings areout of registration with said filter chamber inlet and filter chamberoutlet to close fluid flow through said filter chamber; a handle securedto and extending transversely from said valve member at a pointintermediate said first and second transverse openings for rotating saidvalve member between said first and said second rotational positions,said body means including a body and a cover member disposed on the bodyto form said filter chamber, fastener means for fastening said covermember to said body, said fastener means including an elongated bolthaving a head, and a sleeve mounted on the bolt, opening means in thesleeve to form fluid communication between the filter chamber and thecover opening so that as the fastener means is removed air passesthrough said cover opening and said opening means into said filterchamber to aid in the removal of said cover member.